This rather depressing and claustrophobic movie is set what appears to be in summer 1944 and tells about the Eastern Front reaching the remote country house of an organ builder, first as a female German military doctor, then two shot-down Soviet pilots, then as a tank battle in the backyard, and then the escape and destruction.
However, in spite of some visually beautiful scenes like the opening scene in fog and some river views, the low quality of the Soviet-made negative stock renders skin tone also as vivid red, yellow, blue, and green. The acting of six out of the eight principal actors and actresses is below average; there appear to be many unrelated or embarrassing visual gags (such as pulling weird faces or eating an egg with its shell) or scenes (the doctor swims at night, one of the pilots suddenly bursts to sing, the way the organ builder stops a tank). It is not clear with whom the tanks are fighting; they are modern Soviet tanks modified with plywood to give them the appearance of the German Tigers.
For the most part (e.g. with the exception of the piece "About Mother", performed on a large pipe organ), the music is unnoticeable. It may be some of the composer's work that he composed in a hurry and is not proud of.
However, in spite of some visually beautiful scenes like the opening scene in fog and some river views, the low quality of the Soviet-made negative stock renders skin tone also as vivid red, yellow, blue, and green. The acting of six out of the eight principal actors and actresses is below average; there appear to be many unrelated or embarrassing visual gags (such as pulling weird faces or eating an egg with its shell) or scenes (the doctor swims at night, one of the pilots suddenly bursts to sing, the way the organ builder stops a tank). It is not clear with whom the tanks are fighting; they are modern Soviet tanks modified with plywood to give them the appearance of the German Tigers.
For the most part (e.g. with the exception of the piece "About Mother", performed on a large pipe organ), the music is unnoticeable. It may be some of the composer's work that he composed in a hurry and is not proud of.
